Viability of the use of bovine milk whey at lamb finishing: performance, carcass, and meat parameters

Bovine milk whey is a co-product of the dairy agroindustry that has potential for use in lamb feeding. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of bovine milk whey on the performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality of finishing lambs. Eighteen male lambs were distributed in three treatments (control diet - CD, diet with whey powder - DWP, and diet with liquid whey - DLW) with six replicates. The performance variables, loin-eye area measurements, cover and subcutaneous fat, marbling, yield, morphometry, conformation, and finishing of the carcasses were evaluated. There was a difference in the dry matter intake, with the CD (3.22%) and DWP (3.08%) treatments having higher levels than that of the DLW (2.46%) treatment. The averages for loin-eye area, subcutaneous fat, and marbling were 9.88 cm(2), 2.97 mm, and 1.39, respectively. There was a difference among the treatments for ethereal extract content of the meat; it was higher in CD (7.90%) and lower in DLW (5.19%). The inclusion of bovine milk whey did not alter the quantitative and qualitative parameters of the carcass; however, it altered the levels of ethereal extract content in the meat.